Researcher Says Daily Sex Makes For Healthier Sperm

A researcher says having sex every day improves the quality of a man's sperm and is especially recommended for couples trying to conceive.

Until now doctors have debated whether or not men should refrain from sex for a few days before attempting to conceive with their partner to improve the chance of pregnancy.

But a new study by Dr David Greening of Sydney IVF, an Australian centre for infertility and in vitro fertilisation treatment, suggests abstinence isn't the right approach.

Greening studied 118 men with above-average sperm DNA damage and found the quality of their sperm increased significantly after they were told to ejaculate daily for a week.

On average, their DNA fragmentation index -- a measure of sperm damage -- fell to 26 percent from 34 percent, Greening told the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Amsterdam.

Frequent sex does decrease semen volume but Greening said for most men this is not a problem.

"It seems safe to conclude that couples with relatively normal semen parameters should have sex daily for up to a week before the ovulation date. In the context of assisted reproduction, this simple treatment may assist in improving sperm quality and ultimately achieving a pregnancy."

Greening said his findings may be due to the fact that having sex often reduces the length of time they are exposed to potentially damaging molecules called reactive oxygen species in the testicular ducts.

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